What defines the ultimate immigrant success story? Is it the classic tale of rising from humble beginnings to achieve prosperity and a better life? Or is it about creating a brighter future for the next generation? Perhaps it’s both, and in the case of Joe Piccolo, owner of Supreme Auto Repair, it’s undoubtedly a resounding yes to all of the above.
Joe Piccolo’s journey is the quintessential immigrant success story. Born into an Italian immigrant family drawn to America by the promise of opportunity, he found not just a place, but a home in Price, Utah. The community embraced him, and he, in turn, deeply rooted himself, contributing to its growth and well-being in ways that resonate far beyond his auto repair shop.
The parallels between the immigrant experience and the journey of a business owner are striking, and Joe’s story beautifully illustrates this. Both are voyages into the unknown, driven by the pursuit of a better existence. Both necessitate building trust within a new community and earning the confidence of strangers. Crucially, both demand a daily commitment to move forward, step by step, towards a brighter horizon.
Piccolo encapsulates this daily affirmation, this dedication to progress, with a clear and actionable philosophy: “We have four steps that we take. Recognize the problem, identify the solution, apply the solution, and adjust it until you get the results you want.” Looking back at Joe Piccolo’s career, it’s evident that these four steps have been his guiding principles, applied time and again to navigate challenges and achieve remarkable success at Supreme Auto Repair and beyond.
From Coal Mines to Car Repair: Adapting to Change in Carbon County
Carbon County, Utah, once a beacon of affluence fueled by coal mining, has faced economic hardship in recent decades. This transformation forms the backdrop of Joe Piccolo’s journey and the evolution of Supreme Auto Repair.
“My father was just seven years old when he arrived through Ellis Island in 1907,” Piccolo recounts, “and he began working in the Carbon County coal mines at the age of eleven.” He vividly describes the drastic shift in the local economy: “In 1981, our community employed 7,700 coal miners. By 2007, that number had plummeted to a mere 170. While the total number of jobs remained roughly the same, high-paying coal mining positions were replaced by minimum wage opportunities.”
Price, Utah, is where Joe Piccolo established Supreme Auto Repair, but his entrepreneurial path began much earlier. In 1969, he embarked on his first business venture. “We started with a Kawasaki motorcycle franchise, then expanded into watercraft, audio equipment, and eventually, we delved into the high-performance automotive sector, building race cars,” he explains.
In 1974, he diversified by purchasing a service station. By 1981, he transitioned into specializing in mufflers and brakes. Then, in 1985, recognizing the needs of the community as Carbon County reached its economic peak, Piccolo expanded his services into general auto repair, laying the foundation for what would become Supreme Auto Repair.
“We’ve been torpedoed, but our ship didn’t sink,” he says, reflecting on the economic challenges faced by his community. “We definitely took on some water during those thirty years and witnessed a decline in disposable incomes.” This resilience and adaptability are core to the success story of Supreme Auto Repair.
The Four Steps to Success: Joe Piccolo’s Business Philosophy
Recognizing the problem – the economic downturn in Carbon County and its impact on his business – was the first crucial step. For Joe Piccolo, this realization spurred him to identify and apply solutions, not just for Supreme Auto Repair, but for the wider community of Price, Utah. This is where Joe Piccolo, the business owner, evolved into Joe Piccolo, the business owner and community leader, eventually serving as city council member and then mayor of Price, Utah.
In his public service roles, Piccolo actively sought to “apply the solution” to the city’s challenges. “Once I got involved, I discovered significant opportunities to help stabilize the system, strengthen its foundations, and maintain low taxes,” he explains. “There was also a chance to address social needs, like housing the homeless and feeding the hungry, responding to the call to service that resonates within us all.”
However, Piccolo emphasizes that the final step in his problem-solving approach is not simply “apply the solution,” but rather “adjust until you get the results you want.” His 22 years in public service – 16 as mayor – demonstrated this principle firsthand. While he dedicated himself to the town, his business, Supreme Auto Repair, inadvertently suffered. His political career became a demanding full-time job, detracting from the attention needed to nurture his business, family, and employees.
“A wise Japanese friend of mine often told me, ‘a man who chases two rabbits rarely catches one of them,’” Piccolo recalls, highlighting the lesson he learned about focus and prioritization. To truly serve his community and ensure the continued success of Supreme Auto Repair, an adjustment was needed.
Refocusing on Supreme Auto Repair: The Impact of Shop4D
“Since 1988, we’ve managed our business on a weekly basis,” he explains. “We projected monthly and annually, but our operational management was weekly, closely monitoring the numbers.” Previously, accessing and analyzing business data required navigating multiple systems. This made it challenging to efficiently identify problems, implement solutions, and then effectively adjust based on real-time data. What was missing was a streamlined, integrated solution to provide advanced business insights without excessive manual work.
Consequently, Supreme Auto Repair experienced stagnation during his mayoral tenure. “While I was serving the city, our revenue consistently remained in the $750,000 to $800,000 range annually for over two decades,” he states. In 2019, the year he stepped down from politics, Supreme Auto Repair generated $768,512 in revenue. It was then that he discovered the missing piece: Shop4D, a management system developed by individuals who shared his belief in the power of incremental daily improvements, measured and adjusted to ensure sustainable growth.
By 2021, leveraging Shop4D and receiving personalized coaching from its creators, David Rogers and Terry Keller, Piccolo witnessed remarkable growth, more than doubling his revenue to $1.62 million. By 2023, revenue had surged to $1.96 million, demonstrating the transformative impact of focused business management and the right tools.
More importantly, Piccolo has transformed Supreme Auto Repair into a cornerstone of the Price, Utah community. The shop provides rewarding, well-compensated jobs in an area where they are desperately needed. One of his proudest achievements is the ability to offer his team bonuses that he once only dreamed of providing. Piccolo’s commitment to his community extends to every customer who walks through the doors of Supreme Auto Repair.
“Approximately 30% of our customers are travelers passing through, heading home,” Piccolo shares. “I give them my cell phone number as they leave and say, ‘Call me when you get home. I want to know you arrived safely.’ Often, around 9 PM, my phone will ring, and it’s someone like Mac saying, ‘This is Mac. I made it home to Rock Springs. Everything went well, thanks so much.’ People appreciate being cared for, and it costs us nothing to offer that genuine concern.”
The Ultimate Success: Rooted in Community
So, what constitutes the ultimate immigrant success story? When life’s challenges compel you to leave everything behind and forge a new path in a foreign land, how do you measure success? How do you know if you’ve achieved the results you desired?
“I’m not sure why I never left,” Piccolo reflects, considering the hardships and subsequent revitalization of Carbon County. “All my friends left. But then, eventually, they all returned, so I simply stayed put.”
For Joe Piccolo, the answer lies in the community he serves daily at Supreme Auto Repair, the employees whose lives are enriched by working at his shop, the family he raised, and his unwavering dedication to Price, Utah – the home he found and will never leave. His story is a testament to the power of perseverance, community spirit, and a four-step philosophy that has driven the success of Supreme Auto Repair and his life’s work.
